Aircraft marshaling is visual signaling between ground personnel and aircraft pilots on an aircraft carrier, airport or helipad. Marshaling is a one-on-one visual communication technique between an aircraft marshal and the pilot, and may be an alternative to, or additional to, radio communications between the aircraft and air traffic control. The usual attire of the aircraft marshal is a reflecting safety vest, a helmet with acoustic earmuffs, and illuminated beacons or gloves. The beacons are known as marshaling wands to provide pilots with visual gestures indicating specific instructions.
For instance, an aircraft marshal, using well known arm gesture motions, signals the pilot to keep turning, slow down, stop, and the like, leading the aircraft to its parking location, or to the runway at an airport, or to a launch position on an aircraft carrier.
The marshaling wands currently in use frequently have different colored lights to signal a pilot with marshaling instructions, such as using a yellow light with appropriate arm motions for general instructions such as turn, slow down, and the like, and then switching to a red light with appropriate arm motions to signal the pilot to stop the aircraft. Other color configurations can be used as well, such as blue, green, and amber. However, such marshaling wands do typically not provide radio communications between the aircraft marshal and the pilot. There are limitations to such marshaling wands, particularly when used on an aircraft carrier, where the very limited space and time between take-offs and landing makes radio communications between the aircraft marshal and the pilot a difficult alternative.